Justin Smith, one of the top available graduate transfer is off the board. The Indiana graduate transfer announced today on Twitter that he would be heading to Arkansas.
Smith averaged 10.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a junior this past season while shooting 49.2% from the floor and 26.3% from three. He is a solid option on offense but is known more for his ability to be a lock down defender. Smith has played a lot of minutes at the 3 for Indiana in the past but should be able to start at the 4 which fits better into his style.
There is a lot to like about Arkansas next year, in addition to adding Smith, they add the 7th ranked recruiting class according to 247Sports. That class includes two Top-60 recruits in guards Moses Moody and KK Robinson. They also add graduate transfers Vance Jackson (New Mexico) and Jalen Tate (Northern Kentucky). Arkansas is still awaiting a draft decision from sophomore sharpshooting guard Isaiah Joe.
Here’s the projected roster for Arkansas going into next season:
PG: KK Robinson
SG: Isaiah Joe
SF: Moses Moody
PF: Justin Smith
C: Vance Jackson
Reserves: JD Notae, Jalen Tate, Jaylin Williams, Connor Vanover
This roster is really talented going into next year, while the Razorbacks aren’t a likely Top-25 team preseason, they are a team that has a nice 9-man rotation. They should have NCAA Tournament aspirations and who knows? Maybe they win the SEC next season. That’s an unlikely scenario but it is a possibility.